A Turkish court has sentenced 11 people to life in prison over a fire at a ski resort in Bolu province that killed 78 people, including 34 children, in January, Reuters reported.
Among those convicted is Halit Ergul, the owner of the Grand Kartal hotel where the tragedy occurred. He and ten other defendants were given enhanced life sentences.
The tragedy occurred on January 21 at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the Kartalkaya resort. The fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m. on the restaurant floor, when there were 238 guests in the building, mostly families with children who had come to relax during the school holidays. Among the dead were 34 children, and another 137 people were injured.
According to eyewitnesses, the alarm did not work, and the smoke-filled corridors quickly became impassable. Independent experts found that the hotel lacked basic fire safety systems, and numerous violations of regulations were the main cause of the large-scale tragedy.
There were 32 defendants in the case, 20 of whom were in custody before the trial. Among them were the hotel owner, board members, managers and employees of the institution, as well as the deputy mayor and fire department employees.
According to the conclusions of independent experts, the hotel lacked basic fire safety systems. The fire broke out in the restaurant of the 12-story building, where 238 guests were at the time, causing panic – people were forced to jump out of windows at night.
